10> A History Lesson

All who know me, have seen me go up and down the scale in LARGE leaps. Can’t even remember them all.

1957-58

Mother took me to the Doctor and I went on a diet. It was between my 8th and 9th grade years. No meds – just what we would now call clean eating. Lost a lot and entered my Freshman (9th) grade year looking pretty good.

There was another weight loss in the early 60’s while I was in college – but memory fails me.

1968-69

The thinnest I have been in modern memory was somewhere around 1969. We were on weight watchers and I got down to 156 pounds – Whoa. I remember the yellow and red plaid bell bottoms that my wife made for me. Hey – it was the times. Mutton Chops and all.

1981

Went up the scale again – could not maintain that low weight. Got big. Dieted again – weight watchers – and got down to a low weight – don’t remember the number. Do remember that it was approximately 1981. Went on a cruise as a thin man and had a great time. Oh – had one pair of size 32 shorts.

Gym Time:

That weight loss was also when I started exercising. Went to a gym, Nautilus equipment. This was a BIG event. So we now need to talk about being in Corrective Gym in High School. This is a painful memory, and has colored my attitude about exercise, ever since.

Everyone else had gym 2 or 3 days a week with a full curriculum. But those of us who were the Shlubs – the overweight or skinny or weak LOSERSwere put into the weight room 5 days a week. The Phys Ed teacher was a Sadist. He did to us what would put him in jail today. Try a hundred pound barbell on your shoulders and do duck walks around the parameter of the gym. Ruined my knees – still have pain – and can’t do a full lunge or squat.

Meanwhile – he was in his office with the other phys ed guy – smoking. Is it wrong to hope they suffered a painful life with emphysema or lung cancer?

My only saving grace was that I was in band. So – I only had gym 2-3 times a week instead of 5.

So – going back to to 1980 – when I started dieting and exercising. A friend and I went to the local small Nautilus fitness center to try it out. Walking through that door was probably the most heroic or painful thing I have ever done.

With my luck – the guy that gave us the introductory workout, was the owner’s dad – a construction guy. Boy – did he make us hurt. Reminded me of my phys ed teacher – only nicer. I signed that agreement with my hand actually shaking from the workout.

Really got into the workout – it was simple. Do the circuit in the order the machines were laid out. Raise the weight once you could do 12 reps but not so heavy that you couldn’t do 8 reps. Increase the weight by 5% until you got to 100 pounds then increase by 10%. One set and you were out of there.

It was down the block from the office – so I could workout lunch time – along with the other business guys from the area. Worked well. I actually was doing very heavy weights – yes – I mean very heavy weights. Added a number of secondary exercises – but could never get into Cardio.

Did that for a number of years. But things changed and I slacked off both from the diet and the exercise. And – the weight came back – a pound at a time.

1990s

Some where in the early 90s, I did another bout. Diet and exercise. Got down to less than 225, maybe even close to 200. Went on a Trip to Italy. Bought an unbelievably soft fall/spring leather jacket.

But once again lost my focus. Then the local gym closed and that was a perfect excuse not to exercise. Too far to travel. Weight started to come back – that leather jacket went into storage with all my other outgrown clothing.

A couple of more half hearted attempts – but by March 2007, I was up to 260 pounds. Actually – it may have been more – but – I jumped off the scale when the numbers hit that mark. And that brings us up to recent history. (To be continued on a new page.)